10 Employee Issues to Watch for This Holiday Season

By Don Reisinger |
Posted 11-28-2012

10 Employee Issues to Watch for This Holiday Season

1: Links, Links, EverywhereOne of the biggest security issues is that the number of malicious links floating around the Web increases during this time of the year. Consider sending a memo reminding employees to not click on unknown links.

10 Employee Issues to Watch for This Holiday Season

2: Circumventing FiltersDoes your network have filters that restrict access to certain retail sites? If so, employees will try to get around them during the holiday shopping season. Watch out for that, and consider strengthening the filters.

10 Employee Issues to Watch for This Holiday Season

3: Heavier Social Network UseIf you allow employees to access social networks, expect them to be head to those sites more often during the holidays. Meanwhile, employee productivity will slip and security issues could arise.

10 Employee Issues to Watch for This Holiday Season

4: Scams AboundThe problem with the holiday shopping season is that malicious hackers are out in force offering all kinds of “deals” to unsuspecting victims. Keep your network safe and anticipate some trouble.

10 Employee Issues to Watch for This Holiday Season

5: More Shopping, Less WorkIf you don’t block sites like Amazon or eBay, guess what? Employees will be there buying products for their friends and family. That, of course, results in lower productivity, which won’t make the business side happy.

10 Employee Issues to Watch for This Holiday Season

6: Long Lunches, Sick DaysIf you’re blocking retail sites, there’s a good chance that employees might take long lunches to shop or decide to call in sick. Consider evaluating the fine balance between allowing access to trusted retail sites and not.

10 Employee Issues to Watch for This Holiday Season

7: Beware of Mobile AppsWith the increasing use of iPhones and Android devices in the enterprise, more employees will use mobile apps to find shopping deals or make purchases. You need to decide whether to block those apps or not.

10 Employee Issues to Watch for This Holiday Season

8: Bypassing the MonitorsAlthough employees know you’re monitoring them all year, a surprising number of them will try to circumvent the monitors during the shopping season any way they can. It’s a nightmare scenario for which you should be ready.

10 Employee Issues to Watch for This Holiday Season

9: More Trusting of Untrustworthy SourcesAs the holidays creep closer, your employees will become a bit more trusting of untrustworthy sources. It might be a good time to strengthen your filters and ensure that only trustworthy sites can be accessed.

10 Employee Issues to Watch for This Holiday Season

10: Use Policies? What Use Policies?If your use policies dictate what employees can and cannot do with company-provided products, don’t expect them to uphold their end of the bargain this time of the year. This is an issue you must be ready to address.